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River Sgitheach

Highland geography stubsRivers of Highland (council area)Ross and CromartyScotland river stubs
Sgitheach
Sgitheach

River Sgitheach also known as Skiach or Skiack, (Scottish Gaelic Abhainn Sgitheach, "Hawthorn River") (grid reference NH5162) is a river in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It rises on the southern slopes of Ben Wyvis, passes through Strath Sgitheach, passing Clare plantation, Swordale, the village of Evanton, and after about 13 miles (21 km) empties into the Cromarty Firth near the ruin of the old Kiltearn parish church. About a mile to the northeast, on the other side of Balconie Point, the Allt Graad also empties in the Firth. The ruin that lies on the beach between the two rivers is an old salmon fishing bothy of the Novar Estate. During the summer the water level falls but the river remains an obstacle and even at traditional fords it is difficulty to get across with dry feet. There are five bridges: an estate bridge in Strath Sgitheach; the B817 road bridge as the road enters Evanton; the railway bridge; the A9 main road bridge; and a wooden footbridge only 100 yards before the river meets the sea. Evanton waste water treatment plant is on the banks of the river between the A9 and the sea. The river was formerly anglicised as either "Skiach" or "Skiack", but the Gaelic spelling is used by the Ordnance Survey name and that of Highland Council. It is pronounced like SKEE-ach. The river game its name to the now-demolished Glenskiach distillery, which was near Milton of Katewell.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article River Sgitheach (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 57.6233 ° E -4.4965 °
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Heights of Fodderty


IV14 9AF
Scotland, United Kingdom
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Sgitheach
Sgitheach
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Nearby Places

Strathpeffer Pavilion
Strathpeffer Pavilion

Strathpeffer Spa Pavilion (grid reference NH485583) was commissioned by the Countess of Cromartie in the late 19th century, to serve as a social and entertainment centre for Strathpeffer's many visitors. Formerly just a collection of farms in a Scottish Highland Strath, the village of Strathpeffer developed and became a popular health resort (then the most northerly spa in Europe) in the Victorian era, when local spring waters were discovered to have health-giving properties. Opened by the Countess of Cromartie in 1881, the Pavilion provided entertainment in the form of dances, concerts, lectures etc. Famous speakers included suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and explorer Ernest Shackleton. During the First World War (1914–18), many of the large houses and hotels in Strathpeffer were requisitioned by the armed forces and the Pavilion was taken over by the US Navy and used as a hospital. After the War, the popularity of the spa declined and the Pavilion was used only as an occasional venue for events, until it was acquired by Harry McGhee's Highland Lass Estates and was completely restored and refurbished, re-opening in 1960 as a licensed dance hall and concert venue, becoming hugely popular, with people coming to the dances from all over the Highlands. The venue was even visited by the Beatles in January 1963 but, contrary to popular lore, they never actually performed at the Pavilion.Thereafter, the building was acquired by a large hotel group and was allowed to fall into disrepair, being used only occasionally for concerts and other events. Eventually, it was acquired by The Highland Council, who passed it on to the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT). SHBT then masterminded a huge fund-raising and restoration project, with a view to restoring the much-altered building to its original Victorian splendour, with the addition of requisite modern facilities. The restoration was carried out in 2003-2004 by architects LDN and the Pavilion re-opened in autumn 2004. It was then a multi-purpose venue for the performing arts, dances, conferences, weddings and a variety of exhibitions, festivals and other events. The Pavilion returned to community ownership in 2019.